Knockdown chair



G- J. GUNSHOR KNOCKDOWN CHAIR May 30, 1950 Filed Jan. 25, 1946 INVENTOR.

Patented May 30, 1950 UNIED STATES PATENT OFFICE KNOCKDOWN CHAIR George J. Gunshot, Island Park, N. Y.

Application January 25, 1946, Serial No. 643,308

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to chairs, one of the objects being to provide a chair of the knockdown type which can be easily set up for use and which can be made of interfitting members so assembled that the parts will not become accidentally separated while in use but, nevertheless, can be detached readily when it is desired to separate them and form them into a compact bundle for storage or transportation purposes.

Another object is to provide a chair which is strong but light so that it can be easily carried when collapsed, the parts being so proportioned that when they are set up for use they will provide a comfortable seat for the user.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claim, it being understood that changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

In the accompanying drawing the preferred form of the invention has been shown.

In said drawing:

Figure l is a vertical section through the chair set up for use, said view being taken from front to rear.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of one corner portion of the chair seat and adjacent parts.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary front elevation taken from the right of Figure 1, showing an arm rest mounting and a portion of the back and its support.

Figure 4 is a section on line I--4 Fig. 1.

In illustrating the invention one side only of the chair has been shown it being understood that the two sides are duplicated. The invention comprises rear legs l and front legs 2. The rear legs have openings 3 extended therethrough from front to back and similar openings 4 are provided in the front legs. Openings 3 are in a higher plane than are openings 4. Extended through the front legs close to but above the openings I are transverse openings 5 and similar transverse openings 6 are provided in the rear legs I directly below and adjacent to the openings 3. Openings 5 are in a higher plane than are the openings 6, and are substantially in the same plane with openings 3, openings 4 being in substantially the same plane with openings 6.

Headed studs or buttons I are located on the front portions of each leg 2 adjacent to the top thereof and similar headed studs or buttons 1 are located on the back spaces of the rear legs I adjacent to their upper ends.

The seat portion of the chair includes side rods 8 the ends of which are tapered, as at 9, so as to wedge within the respective openings 3 and 4. The side rods thus incline downwardly from rear to front, in an arrangement designed particularly to provide resistance against the back pressure exerted by one using the chair. A transverse or front rod II] is provided and has tapered ends I! adapted to wedge within the openings 5. A rear transverse rod I2 is provided with tapered ends similar to the ends I I and adapted to wedge within the openings 6. These ends have been indicated at I3.

A bolt I4 is extended transversely through the upper portion of each of the legs I. The two bolts aline and each of them serves to support a side rail I5 of the seat back, these side rails being connected by any suitable means, such as a sheet I6 of fabric. The bolts can be held to the upper end portions of the legs I by any suitable means such as nuts, keys, or the like. In Figure 3 a key for this purpose has been indicated at IT.

The seat fabric has been shown at I8 and has its front and back portions looped about and secured to the rods III and I2 respectively. Side loops I9 can be secured to the side portions of this fabric I8 and have the side rods 8 extended through them. Due to the arrangement of the front and rear rods II] and I2, this fabric inclines downwardly from front to rear. Not only does this make a comfortable arrangement, but also, the oppositely inclined fabric seat and side rods cooperate to counteract with positiveness the normal back and downward pressure exerted by a user.

Arm rests in the form of fabric straps 20 or other suitable material bear downwardly on the upper ends of the legs I and 2 and adapted to be detachably secured thereto by providing eyes 2| for receiving the studs or buttons I.

When the chair is not in use the parts are all detached from one another and can be tied together in the form of a bundle which can be carried easily.

When it is desired to use the chair the rods Ill and I 2 are inserted through the front and back portions of the seat fabric I8 and the side rods 8 are inserted through the loops I9. The legs are then forced on to the tapered ends of side rods and also on to the tapered ends of the front and back rods thus completing the seat structure. To prevent accidental withdrawal of the front and rear rods from the legs, keys 22 can be inserted through the end portions of these front and back rods.

The bolts 14 are inserted outwardly through the side rails 15 of the back structure and into the legs I where they are held by the means I! provided for that purpose. This results in stretching the fabric l6 so that the back structure thus can be used as a rest for the back of the chair occupant. The arm rests 20 are placed in position on the legs and detachably secured thereto as heretofore explained. With the parts thus assembled they can be used as a chair and it has been found in practice that the structure thus produced is rigid and also provides a very comfortable seat for the user.

When the chair is not to be used the parts can readily be separated by reversing the operation already described after which they can be bundled together and easily carried or stored.

What is claimed is:

A knockdown chair including a pair of upstanding front legs; a pair of upstanding back legs; a, horizontal front rod extending between and removably secured to the two front legs; a horizontal back rod extending between and removably secured to the two back legs, the front rod being slightly higher than the back rod; a pair of side rods removably connected at their front ends to the respective front legs and at their rear ends to the respective back legs, said side rods being inclined slightly from the horizontal, the rear ends of the side rods being as high as the front rod and the front ends of the side rods being as high as the back rod, the front ends of the side rods underlying the front rod and the back ends of the side rods overlying the back rod; a fabric seat element stretched between the front and back rods and having its front and back edges secured to the front and back rods respectively, the front and back rods and side rods defining an approximately rectangular seat frame for said seat element, the seat element being inclined slightly from the horizontal and oppositely to the side rods; and side loops carried by the medial portions of the respective side rods and secured} to the opposite sides of the seat element. 1

GEORGE J. GUNSHOR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 120,833 Snell et al Nov. 14, 1871 213,111 Hopkins Mar. 11, 1879 214,760 Dewey Apr. 29, 1879 307,676 Nicholson Nov. 4, 1884 1,381,136 Ribeiro June 14, 1921 1,391,362 Bickel Sept. 20, 1921 1,414,064 Bickel Apr. 25, 1922 1,664,103 Bishoif Mar. 27, 1928 1,968,333 Cross et a1 July 31, 1934.- 

